be free, be happy, be peaceful

May all find the teacher within to guide oneself towards unconditional love and peace

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Compassion? (2)

If we have strong anger and hatred, or discrimination, or aversion towards the things and people that we don't like and don't agree with, we will feel very annoyed and irritated to hear this word 'compassion'.

It is a normal reaction of the ego. As compassion is the 'opposite' of egoism.

When we realize compassion, the ego will be disappearing. It's the same, when the ego is eliminated, we will realize compassion.

Egolessness or selflessness is compassion. As long as the ego is not eliminated, compassion cannot be seen. Even though we want to be compassionate, or think that we are being compassionate, but compassion is not possible when our ego is very strong and being over-powered by impurities like anger, hatred, discrimination, pride, arrogance, dissatisfaction, disappointment, craving, aversion, fear and etc.

If we are compassionate, we won't feel that there is any separation between performing actions for ourselves and performing actions for other beings.

We won't feel that we need to have time for ourselves or to do things for ourselves.

As when we realize compassion and non-separateness, whatever we do for ourselves is also benefiting other beings. And whatever we do for other beings is also benefiting ourselves. There's no difference at all.

Just like when I am doing my own yoga and meditation practice, it is for the benefits of other beings as well. I take care of my own well-being, and have peace and love. Then I can share this peace and love with other beings, and can make use of the good condition of the physical body and the pure state of the mind to help other beings.

And when I am not doing my own practice, but I am busy with sharing yoga with other beings, doing things that seemed like is for other beings, I am benefiting myself not any less than performing my own practice.

But the point is, we are not looking for any benefits or any rewards in return at all, whether we are performing actions for ourselves or for other beings.

Out of compassion, all our actions are being transformed into selfless service whether it is selfless service towards ourselves or other beings. There's no separation.

There's no calculation about how much love I have given to someone, and how many things I have done for somebody, and I expect how much love, or things, or appreciation, or gratefulness in return. Or else I'll get very disappointed and unhappy.

And so, ask ourselves "Are we really compassionate as what we think we are?" when we complain about ourselves or other people for being working too much, and have no time for ourselves, to do things for ourselves. Or when we feel disappointed and unhappy when we think nobody is appreciating, nor acknowledging, nor be grateful and thankful for what we have done for others, whether it's for our family, or for our friends, or for our work, or for doing community volunteering work.

Compassion is not just about being kind and loving, or be nice to other beings, but it is unconditional love to be able to accept everyone as they are, and to be able to give without attachment, without discrimination, without expectation, without disappointment and unhappiness.

There's no difference between doing action for ourselves, or for our family, or for our work that we will get some living income in return, or for charity volunteering work that we don't get anything in return. We do everything out of compassion towards all beings, including ourselves, is also one of the beings that we need to be compassionate at.

There will be something in return, even when we don't have intention nor expectation towards the fruit of action. But we are not determined by the fruit of action. Sometimes the fruit of action is not necessarily pleasant, it's not something that we like or agree with, but it really doesn't matter if we know what is perform all actions out of compassion. As there's no selfish desires, nor selfish intention, nor selfish expectation. And so, there's no disappointment nor unhappiness.